Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Broxton's Stairs-Way To Heaving: Phillies 5, Dodgers 4

I've had my problems with Jonathan Broxton as the Dodgers closer, but usually think he does a fine job. But this ought to be enough to get him permanently demoted from the job:

His first pitch to Stairs was about 100 mph. But it was also outside the strike zone.

Said Stairs: "I thought, 'Oh Lord.' "

Said Broxton: "I never want to give it up to a guy off the bench."

The next pitch was a ball. Then another ball. Then another ball.

Said Stairs: "He just couldn't throw strikes."

Said Broxton: "I wasn't going to give him anything to hit."

"I wasn't going to give him anything to hit"? Dude, this is a bench player with one at-bat in the series. You call yourself a closer and you're afraid of Matt "The Wonder Hamster" Stairs?

That's just damned embarrassing.

Otherwise: Broxton's choke erased a really well-pitched game, and a solid outing by the Dodgers' offense that should have ended in a win. They try to stave off a Phillies date with the eventual winner of the Angels/Yanks series on Thursday.